Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026
05:06
An Efficient Transgenesis Approach for Gene Delivery in the Mouse Embryonic Heart
Published on: May 24, 2024
Electric pulses augment reporter gene expression in the beating heart
Sylvie Eigeldinger-Berthou1, Patrick Buntschu, Martin Flück
1Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Inselspital, Berne University Hospital and University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland.
The Journal of Gene Medicine
|January 21, 2012
Summary
Electropulsing enhances gene delivery to heart cells, but can increase injury. Optimizing pulse duration and number is key for effective and safe cardiac gene therapy.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Research
- Gene Therapy
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Cardiac gene therapy trials use naked DNA injections, but transfection rates are unknown.
- Quantifying electropulsing efficacy for cardiomyocyte transfection is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify gene transfection rates in cardiomyocytes using different electropulsing protocols.
- To assess the impact of electropulsing on myocardial integrity.
Main Methods:
- Injected reporter plasmid (GFP) into rat hearts.
- Applied four electropulsing protocols (long pulses, short pulse trains, or combinations).
- Compared GFP expression, infiltration, fibrosis, and apoptosis against controls.
Main Results:
- All protocols increased GFP expression; continuous pulses were most effective (>300-fold increase).
- Electropulsing increased macrophage infiltration, fibrosis, and cell death.
- Short pulse trains reduced inflammation but were less efficient for transfection.
Conclusions:
- Myocardial electropulsing enhances exogenous protein expression in cardiomyocytes, linked to injury.
- Fractionated pulse protocols may offer a safer approach for cardiac gene therapy.
Related Concept Videos
02:11Reporter Genes
Reporter genes are a type of protein-coding gene that are often tagged to a gene of interest. Once inside a target cell, reporter genes usually produce visually identifiable characteristics like fluorescence and luminescence when expressed along with the gene of interest. Thus, reporter genes “report” the presence or absence of genes of interest in an organism, determine the gene expression pattern, or track the physical location of a DNA segment or protein in the cell.
Commonly used reporter...
Commonly used reporter...
01:20Regulation of Pulse
Pulse regulation involves physiological mechanisms that ensure adequate blood flow throughout the body. The heartbeat, regulated by the autonomic nervous system, is influenced by hormonal balance, physical activity, and emotional state.